YPS is pleased to announce that Anthony Devine, Founder and Creative Director of Ministry of Upholstery and star of BBC's Money for Nothing programme, will be bringing his pioneering upholstery school to YPS on Stand E2 at this year’s Sign and Digital UK exhibition.
Devine will be holding live workshops throughout each day to demonstrate how accessible upholstery production can be, with printed fabrics produced using Mimaki digital textile print technology.
A champion for digitally printed textiles, Devine’s Ministry of Upholstery was formed in 2013 and is located in Manchester. The school features a large, well equipped workshop space and enables individuals to learn upholstery skills and create a bespoke piece of furniture featuring their own personalised fabric. “Ministry of Upholstery is a modern upholstery school and we’re pioneering a new way of learning, which is accessible, flexible and inclusive,” states Devine, who previously outsourced printing for several years before finally taking the plunge and purchasing a Mimaki TS300-1800 printer and heat transfer press through Mimaki Authorised Reseller Partner, YPS.
“We are delighted to host Anthony on our stand at Sign & Digital UK 2019,” says Georgia Brown, YPS Sales Director. “Making our customers aware of new technology, materials and the opportunities they create is a responsibility we take very seriously, and we can see this echoed in the ethos of Ministry of Upholstery. Anthony is a fantastic ambassador for embracing personalised digital textile print for the home décor market.”
Brown continues, “The potential within the textile home décor market is hugely exciting and is indicative of the emerging, progressive technology in digital print. Furniture, bedding and soft furnishings are just a small example of products driven by e-commerce, low manufacturing costs and the rise in the production of a wide choice of digitally printable, durable fabrics.”
At Sign & Digital UK, Devine will be showcasing the power of digital print from artwork creation to finished furniture. Using several of his TV designs, he will be demonstrating various upholstery processes and working on several projects to include a chair inspired by the Mona Lisa, the art of deep buttoning and more. On the YPS stand, he will be discussing how he took some of his most talked-about designs from idea to realisation and why digital print has always been – and continues to be – his preferred tool, when it comes to creating cutting edge design.
“Digital textile print is an exciting route to new business and profitability,” states Brown. “With the advent of digital textile innovations and improvements in technology, the market is changing rapidly. With the lower cost of production through affordable print technology, inks and a wider choice of fabrics, small companies can now cost effectively print on demand.”
“Digitally printed textiles are expected to grow three-fold globally in the next 5 years and the market sector is worth over $20 billion, of which an estimated 3-5% is currently digital,” she continues. “As a company, YPS is keen to support new and existing businesses looking to make the move into the digitally printed textile market and our stand at Sign & Digital UK reflects this,” concludes Brown.
